Automatic restart????

[AndrewSchofield]

Our PC has been in storage for a while while we've been carrying out a loft conversion. We've got it up and running again but its seems to have developed a curious fault. Its running Windows XP Home and is set up with three different user accounts. If you turn the PC on and leave it on the log-in screen, after about 10-30 seconds it automatically restarts itself and re-boots. If you click to log on to any user, its fine and works normally. Only when its left on the log-in screen does it do this?? Could it simply be a faulty power switch or reset button or could it be virus related?

Any suggestions most welcome!?!

 

[MrHumbug]

Peculiar one that.

I wouldn't have thought the hardware was causing it as it would happen after you logged in as well.

My first thought is that it may be a combination of the default power management settings and the BIOS power management. Did you have to re-enter the BIOS settings after getting the PC out of storage?

 

[kevindgas]

could be power management settings
I had problems with a laptop (windows ME) that I solved by setting it to never on each of the 4 settings.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

No didn't change anything - just plugged everything back in and switched it on. The reason i thought it may be a problm with the power or reset switch is that i wonder if it got some dust in it during the loft conversion work? Will try changing the power management settings to never though and see if that makes a difference?

 

[MrHumbug]

Open the registry (usual warnings about not changing stuff applies here)

Have a look at

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\PowerCfg

Change CurrentPowerPolicy to 0

That controls the setting for the PC before anybody logs in. Otherwise the power management settings are user-specific.

 

[worto03]

do you have an upto date virus checker?

There was an old virus that did this.